BY V. NABOKOV Museum of Compar.ative ZoAlogy What follows is a brief summary of some conclusions mainly relative to the classification of the American forms of Lyceides Hiibner, 1823 (Plebejine). This genus comprises at least halfa-dozen structural (genitalic) unities which may be termed species, .and a full .account of its morphology will be published in due time. Except in one inevitable case, no new names are introduced, as it is felt that further study might result in some equilibrium of the variational scheme in Lycveid'es, so .as to avoid .a chaotic accumulation of poorly balanced "subspecies." Owing to the abundant Holarctic material in the Museum of Comparative Zo/51ogy, and thanks to generous loans from the American Museum .of Natural History and from private collections (I have especially to thank Mr. H. K. Clench and Mr. Don B. Stallings), a considerable number of specimens could be examined; of these, some 350 were dissected and measured. Three specific categories may be distinguished as affecting the classification of the Nearctic forms"
NOTES ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF THE GENUS LYCzEIDES (LYCTENIDTE, LEPIDOPTERA) BY V. NASOI4OV Out of the hundred or so holarctic Lycmnids distributed among at least sixteen genera of the subfamily Plebejine (definitely fixed by Stempffer, 1937, Bull. soc. ent. France 42 "211, etc.; not covering the superficial concept of "Blues" for which no systematic term or division can exist), only fourteen species or so, two of which are obvious invaders from the Tropics, occur in the nearctic region (north of the 30th parallel). These belong to seven genera, four of which (the first four in the list given below) are holarctic and contain together six species of which one half is common to both regions. All three exclusively American genera have the free portion of the mdeagus elongated; all the exclusively palearctic gener.a, except Aricia R. L. (and the, mainly tropical, Chilades Moore 2 and Freyeria Courvoisier) have stubby or proximally "bulbous" free portions. Of the four genera common to both regions one half belongs to the first type and one half to the second. The only Plebefine, so far known to exist in the nearctic region, are" 1. Agriades Hiibner" glandon Prunner (holarctic); 2. Vacciniina Tutt: optilete Knoch (holarctic) 3. Lycoeides Hibner: argyrognomon Bergstrisser (holarctic), scudderi Edwards, melissa Edwards; 4. Plebejus Kluk" scepiolus Boisduval; 5. Plebulina, n.g. (remarkably amalgamating the Plebejus or Lyceides mdeagus with the valval processus superior and uncus + falces of Albulina Tutt): emigdionis Grinnell (genotype); 6. Icaricia, n.g. (allied to Aricia R.L. in mdeagus; somewhat to Polyommatus Latreille in general type of uncus as seen ventrally; close to both in processus superior of valve; distinguishable by the underdeveloped, i.e. devoid distally of any Published with the aid of a grant from the Museum of Comparative ZoSlogy at Harvard College. Unexpectedly represented by speciosa Staudinger in the Andes. 1944] Genus Lycceides 105 semblance of hook, triangular, laminate, proximally very broad falx, its very gradually tapering apex hardly exceeding in height the level of its strongly humped humerulus) icarioides Boisduval (genotype) with its various subspecies (clamoring for a reviser) and four other species, viz.: acmon Doubleday-Hewit
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.